Chinese scientists found a whale fall (鲸落) for the first time in the South China Sea during a deep-sea expedition (考察) carried out by oceanic research vessel (船) Tansuo-1.
It’s sad to learn that a whale has died in the ocean. However, that’s not the end for the whale. It has a lot to give to other sea animals after death. When a whale dies, it quickly sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor. There, the whale body provides food for deep-sea animals, which are often hungry for food. The remains can last for lots of years and create an ecosystem (生态系统) called a whale fall-an “oasis (绿洲)” of life in the deep sea.
The whale fall ecosystem can exist in the deep ocean because great pressure and cold temperatures there prevent the body from decomposing (腐烂) too quickly. But the depth also makes it hard for scientists to discover them. There are less than 50 known whale falls in the world.
The whale body in the South China Sea is about three meters long. Scientists have found several species of shrimp (虾) and fish near the whale body. Some fish have started to eat the whale’s tail. The whale fall might be quite recent and needs long-term observation (观测), according to Xie Wei, a scientist who took part in the expedition.
By studying the whale fall, scientists can better understand how marine (海洋的) ecosystems support life and how to protect biodiversity (生物多样性) resources in the deep sea.
1. A whale fall is called an “oasis” because it provides food for deep-sea animals.2. It’s hard to find whale falls because of low temperature.
3. The whale fall in the South China Sea may have formed recently.
4. The passage is mainly about the death of whale.
Britain’s Got Talent is a popular British TV show looking for the most talented people in the country. This year, a music group named “Sign Along With Us” got the show’s first Golden Buzzer for their excellent performance. They got much closer to win a bigger prize.
The group is made up of 18-year-old Jade Kilduff, her 4-year-old little brother Christian Kilduff, and some others. Aged from 4 to 58, there are 37 children and 28 adults in the group. They sang a beautiful song named This is Me and used sign language (手语).
They chose to give their performance in this way to help young Christian face his illness. Christian has great difficulty talking with others. His family took him to many hospitals, but they were told that he could never talk. Jade didn’t believe that and she taught her little brother sign language. “I just know there was a voice inside there waiting to come out.” she told the judges (评委) on the show.
Their performance touched everyone’s heart. There was not a dry eye in the house. “Every one of you gave a wonderful performance. It was really great.” said one of the judges.
1. A music group, “Sign Along With Us”, won a big prize in Britain’s Got Talent.2. To win the big prize, Jade’s brother aged 4 sang loudly and clearly.
3. Everyone is touched because of the great performance and the story behind it.
4. From the passage we know, we’d better sing songs with sign language.
A new term means a new start. What do you like to do to welcome the beginning of your new study life? | |
| David | I do a special thing on the first day of every term. On the night before, I use a piece of paper and coloured pens to make a “first day of school” sign. I draw pictures on it. The next day, I take a picture with the sign in front of the school. To me, this is a meaningful way to welcome the beginning of a new term. |
| Mary | At the beginning of the school year, I will write down some words about study and life. For example, now as a freshman in middle school, I write “Dreams big and work hard” on a piece of white paper. After finishing all these, I will put up this piece of paper on the wall by my bed. Whenever I look at it when I’m tired, it can encourage me to learn. |
| Mike | The most important thing to do at the start of the new term is to look back at the happy memories (记忆) of the summer holiday. I’ll turn on the camera and open my notebook the night before the new term starts. |
| Susan | I will have a haircut at the beginning of a new term. The day before I go to school, I’ll go to the barber shop (理发店) near my neighbourhood by myself. I feel really relaxed and have fun during the haircut. After I get a new hairstyle, I feel like everything is new from now on. |
1. David doesn’t draw pictures on his sign.
2. Mary writes down some words and puts them up on the wall by her bed.
3. Mike would like to look back happy memories by looking at the camera and notebook.
4. Susan gets a new hairstyle in the barber shop far from her neighbourhood.
5. Both David and Mary use pens and paper to welcome the new term.
6. The passage is about some students’ ways to welcome the beginning of the new study life.
| You are what you eat | Keeping better eating habits can help you reduce (减少) illness. A healthy eating plan means choosing the right foods to eat and preparing foods in a healthy way. |
| Change the toothbrush | Do you often change your toothbrush (牙刷)? Maybe you think it is not necessary. A study shows old toothbrushes bring disease. You should often change your toothbrush. |
| Exercise | Swimming, running, skating, skiing, dancing, walking and some other activities can help you stay healthy. You should exercise at least three times a week and for twenty minutes or more each time. Do it. |
| Plan out your life | You should have breakfast before you go to school. Have a right meal for lunch. Follow a healthy diet (饮食). |
1. Good eating habits can help your health.
2. Old toothbrushes can reduce disease.
3. We should exercise only three times a month.
4. We should have breakfast before going to school.
5. The passage is mainly about healthy lifestyle.
“Made in China” is a label(标签) that can be found on many products in our life. Products produced in China have gradually become a necessary part of the market. These products below will give people an idea of how much our market is shaped by Chinese production
| Food According to CNN.com, experts believe that it is almost impossible to have a diet without foods produced in China. Products such as chips and garlic are produced in China. Many canned foods on the market are also made in China. | Bags Your briefcase (公文包) is probably made in China. Chinese factories also produce schoolbags. Suitcase sets are made in China, as well as shopping bags. Wallets and cellphone cases are also produced in China. |
| Toys Educational toys such as the Rubik cube are created in China. Piggy banks are also produced in China. Remote control cars are produced there as well. And pet toys are often made in China, too. | Clothes Chinese factories produce winter coats, gloves and hats for people around the world. T-shirts and suits are among the things sold to people around the world from China. Sports caps are also produced in China. |
Click here to know more.
1. According to CNN.com, we know that China has the largest food market in the world.2. Without Chinese factories, people around the world would have no clothes to wear and bags to use.
3. The writer introduced these products to show products produced in China have a large market share.
4. The writer mainly wants to ask us to be proud of Chinese products and use them more.
5. A businessman who wants to sell his products may be interested in this passage.
Airships can fly because they are lighter than air, like balloons. But they also have engines, so they can fly long distances. In the 1920s and 1930s, airships flew with passengers in them. They could fly from Europe to the US in two days. That was much faster than traveling by ship. There were even restaurants and bedrooms in the biggest airships, which could carry up to 100 passengers.
However, the safety of airships during that time was surely a big problem. It was reported that many of airships crashed. In 1937, a famous airship called the Hindenburg crashed near New York and thirty-six people died. After that, passenger airships stopped flying. Planes became the most important kind of air transportation because they were faster and safer.
Now a number of companies around the world are making airships again. They are much safer than the airships of the 1920s and 1930s, but they are not for passengers. Instead, they carry cargo.
Why use airships instead of planes? There are four main reasons:
●They don’t need airports. They can land in places where planes can’t.
●They can carry much more cargo than planes can.
●They use much less fuel than planes, so they are better for the environment.
●They can stay in the air for a long time, so they are good for scientific work.
Today most cargo still travels on planes, ships, trains and trucks. But in the future, much more cargo could travel by airship because it’s cheaper and better for the environment. Maybe there will be airships for passengers again too.
1. During the 1920s and 1930s, airships ___________.| A．couldn’t carry people | B．could have restaurants |
| C．were safer than planes | D．were slower than ships |
| A．fall to pieces | B．fly into sky |
| C．take off safely | D．turn back fast |
| A．They can fly without fuel. |
| B．They can take more passengers. |
| C．They have to land in the airports. |
| D．They are more friendly to the environment. |
| A．Useful airships | B．Airships and planes |
| C．The history of airships | D．The story of a famous airship |
7 . Most handshakes are a simple greeting. However, they are more common in some places than in others. This is especially true in English-speaking countries. In these countries, handshakes are common in every situation — when meeting a new person, or even when greeting someone that you have not seen for a long time. People also use handshakes to congratulate, or to say goodbye.
In Asian countries, handshakes are used in business. But in other situations, there are other greetings. For example, in Thailand, people greet each other using the waist(腰). A person holds his hands so that the palms, the inside of the hands, press together. Then, the person gives a small bow, bending(弯曲) at the waist. Similar gestures(手势) are used in India, Cambodia and other countries.
In Latin America, people shake hands. But they also may greet with a kiss. For example, a woman greeting another woman will kiss lightly on each cheek(面颊), and then shake hands. In some places, men may also greet in this way, but it is not as common. Cheek kissing is common in many other parts of the world too, but it is slightly(稍微地) different in each place. For example, in Greece, two people may kiss twice, one kiss on each cheek. But in parts of France, people will kiss four times!
So, if you are shaking hands, do you know what the best way to communicate is? Do you use a hard or soft handshake? Do you hold with both hands, or just one? Do you kiss?
1. How do people greet each other in Thailand?| A．By using the waist. | B．By shaking hands. |
| C．By speaking loudly. | D．By shaking their heads. |
| A．Hugging. | B．Kissing. | C．Greeting. | D．Speaking. |
| A．Different handshakes | B．How to greet each other |
| C．The same gestures | D．When to shake hands |
We’ve all felt confused before. The feeling of not knowing what the answers or solutions are can make us feel useless, stupid, and cause us to worry.
People are often likely to think the person who has all of the answers is smarter than the one who asks a lot of questions. As a result, people often try to hide their confusion in different ways. People sometimes act as if they have the answers. At other times, people make guesses or create an answer even if they know it isn’t right.
But confusion might actually be a good thing. When we jump to an answer, we don’t have time to explore (探索) the thing we’re confused about. Instead of paying no attention to your confusion, accepting it and taking the opportunity to think about what’s confusing can benefit our learning. In fact, scientific studies show that confusion actually leads to deeper understanding. A 2004 study explored six moods that people feel while learning, including upset, bored, and confused. They found that students who spent more of the lesson confused learned the most. In another study, scientists tried to confuse students by giving them contradicting (矛盾的) information. Students who expressed confusion during the lesson did better on the final test. Not knowing the answer to a problem gives us space to look at different ways to solve it. The feeling of confusion also encourages us to look more deeply into the problem. In the end, this helps us understand the topic on a deeper level.
Confusion is also important for learning your identity (身份). People find out their identity in two steps. The first step is exploration, where you try out different groups and values and see what fits. The next step is commitment, when you decide firmly (坚定地) about some parts of your identity. You make up your mind that you will act in a way that fits your identity. Exploring your identity can feel very confusing. But a study found, that people who do the most exploring about who they are have better outcomes such as higher self- confidence and self-esteem (自尊) later in life.
So, instead of trying to hide your confusion, try a new method, ask for help, or research different ways to deal with the problem to work through your confusion.
1. Why does a person try to hide his confusion?| A．Because he wants others to make good judgement on him. |
| B．Because he has good ability to guess and create an answer. |
| C．Because hiding his confusion helps him work out a solution. |
| D．Because telling others his confusion will make them confused. |
| A．Good understanding leads to less confusion. |
| B．Confusion can have helpful effect on learning. |
| C．Digging deeply into a problem may cause confusion. |
| D．Confusion prevents the development of self-confidence. |
| A．promise | B．imagination | C．challenge | D．argument |
| A．To call on readers to study confusion on a deeper level. |
| B．To tell readers about the research results on confusion. |
| C．To explain to readers it’s normal to feel confused. |
| D．To encourage readers to clear up their confusion. |
9 . We all know the strange feeling of watching the time change on a clock. You never see it change because the hands move so slowly. But of course, the time is changing all the time.
Human faces, like clock faces, are also changing. And like clocks, the changes take place too slowly to be noticed. Over many thousands of years, though, huge changes are possible. For example, the human brain tripled in size and began to think more. Our faces became flatter.
If our heads became larger in the past, how will things change in the future? Unlike the changes of a clock face, the changes in human faces are very difficult to predict. One of the main reasons for this is the way in which we can now control parts of nature. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, all changes were natural, but now we can actively choose paths for our own evolution.
A US artist named Nickolay Lamm has recently offered an idea. It is what human faces may one day look like. The designs, inspired by his conversation with scientist Alan, show humans with larger heads and eyes, especially the forehead may be larger because of increased usage of the brain.
Just a few hundred years ago, most humans were working in the fields, whereas nowadays more and more people receive education. These are just predictions, and no one can be sure how human beings will become in the future. But with such huge changes in our environment, it seems likely that beings will become in the future. But with such huge changes in our environments, it seems likely that we will look very different in the future.
1. The changes of human are hardly noticed because ________.| A．human faces never change | B．the human brain becomes bigger |
| C．the changes take place too slowly | D．we never think about the changes |
| A．human faces can’t be controlled by us |
| B．human faces used to be changed by nature |
| C．it is easy to predict the changes in human changes |
| D．human can’t change the size of our brain in the future |
| A．finally | B．at the same time | C．however | D．on the other side |
| A．the predictions will surely be truth | B．people in the past liked to be educated |
| C．future humans must have larger heads | D．humans will not look the same as today |
10 . Different weather makes people feel different. It influences (影响) health, intelligence (智力) and feelings.
In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there have heart problems in this month. In the northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in these states have more heart problems after the weather changes (改变) quickly in February or March.
The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, the IQs of a group of students were very high when a very strong wind came, but after the strong wind, their IQs were 10% lower. The wind can help people have higher intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can make it lower. Students in many schools of the United States often get worse (更糟) on exams in the hot months of the year.
Weather also has a strong influence on people’s feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold in these months. They may feel gloomy and don’t want to talk to anyone in cold weather. But fat people may have a hard time in hot summer. People feel best at a temperature of about 18℃.
Are you feeling sad, tired, or unhappy today? It may be the weather’s problem.
1. According to the passage, we know people will be ill more often because ________.| A．the wind is too strong | B．the weather is hot and wet |
| C．the weather changes very much | D．people don’t wear too many clothes |
| A．A very strong wind can make people smart. |
| B．Hot weather can help students study better. |
| C．It’s always hot in the Middle West. |
| D．Different countries have different weather. |
| A．fat people may feel hard at a temperature of about 18℃ |
| B．thin people feel tired in cold weather |
| C．the cold weather is bad for fat people |
| D．different weather makes people feel different |
| A．幸福的 | B．亢奋的 | C．郁闷的 | D．自信的 |
